Micah 6
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh’s Case Against His People
6 [a](A)Listen now to what Yahweh is saying,
“Arise, plead your case [b]before the mountains,
And let the hills [c](B)listen to your voice.
2 [d](C)Listen, you mountains, to the case of Yahweh,
And you enduring (D)foundations of the earth,
Because (E)Yahweh has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will reprove.
3 (F)My people, (G)what have I done to you,
And (H)how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
4 Indeed, I (I)brought you up from the land of Egypt
And (J)ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you (K)Moses, Aaron, and (L)Miriam.
5 My people, remember now
What (M)Balak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
And from (N)Shittim to (O)Gilgal,
So [e]that you might know the (P)righteous acts of Yahweh.”
What Yahweh Requires
6 (Q)With what shall I come before Yahweh
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come before Him with (R)burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7 Is Yahweh pleased with (S)thousands of rams,
With ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my (T)firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has (U)told you, O man, what is good;
And (V)what does Yahweh require of you
But to (W)do justice, to (X)love lovingkindness,
And to walk [f](Y)humbly with your God?
9 The voice of Yahweh will call to the city—
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
“Hear, O tribe. Who even has appointed [g]its time?
10 Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of (Z)wickedness,
And a [h](AA)short measure which is cursed?
11 Can I purify wicked (AB)scales
And a bag of deceptive weights?
12 For the rich men of [i]the city are full of (AC)violence,
And her inhabitants speak (AD)lies,
And their (AE)tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 So also I will make you (AF)sick, striking you down,
(AG)Desolating you because of your sins.
14 You will eat, but you will (AH)not be satisfied,
And your [j]vileness will be in your midst.
And you will try to remove something for safekeeping,
But you will (AI)not cause anything to escape,
And that which you do have escape, I will give to the sword.
15 You will sow but you will (AJ)not reap.
You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And the grapes, but you will (AK)not drink wine.
16 The statutes of (AL)Omri
And all the works of the house of (AM)Ahab are kept;
And in their counsels you (AN)walk.
Therefore I will give you up as (AO)an object of horror
And [k]your inhabitants as an (AP)object of hissing,
And you will bear the (AQ)reproach of My people.”
Footnotes
- Micah 6:1 Or hear
- Micah 6:1 Lit with
- Micah 6:1 Or hear
- Micah 6:2 Or hear
- Micah 6:5 Lit to know
- Micah 6:8 Or circumspectly
- Micah 6:9 Lit it
- Micah 6:10 Lit shrunken ephah
- Micah 6:12 Lit her
- Micah 6:14 Or possibly garbage, excreta
- Micah 6:16 Lit her
Micah 6
New Living Translation
The Lord’s Case against Israel
6 Listen to what the Lord is saying:
“Stand up and state your case against me.
Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints.
2 And now, O mountains,
listen to the Lord’s complaint!
He has a case against his people.
He will bring charges against Israel.
3 “O my people, what have I done to you?
What have I done to make you tired of me?
Answer me!
4 For I brought you out of Egypt
and redeemed you from slavery.
I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.
5 Don’t you remember, my people,
how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed
and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead?
And remember your journey from Acacia Grove[a] to Gilgal,
when I, the Lord, did everything I could
to teach you about my faithfulness.”
6 What can we bring to the Lord?
Should we bring him burnt offerings?
Should we bow before God Most High
with offerings of yearling calves?
7 Should we offer him thousands of rams
and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
to pay for our sins?
8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.
Israel’s Guilt and Punishment
9 Fear the Lord if you are wise!
His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem:
“The armies of destruction are coming;
the Lord is sending them.[b]
10 What shall I say about the homes of the wicked
filled with treasures gained by cheating?
What about the disgusting practice
of measuring out grain with dishonest measures?[c]
11 How can I tolerate your merchants
who use dishonest scales and weights?
12 The rich among you have become wealthy
through extortion and violence.
Your citizens are so used to lying
that their tongues can no longer tell the truth.
13 “Therefore, I will wound you!
I will bring you to ruin for all your sins.
14 You will eat but never have enough.
Your hunger pangs and emptiness will remain.
And though you try to save your money,
it will come to nothing in the end.
You will save a little,
but I will give it to those who conquer you.
15 You will plant crops
but not harvest them.
You will press your olives
but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves.
You will trample the grapes
but get no juice to make your wine.
16 You keep only the laws of evil King Omri;
you follow only the example of wicked King Ahab!
Therefore, I will make an example of you,
bringing you to complete ruin.
You will be treated with contempt,
mocked by all who see you.”
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
